Threading a fishhook has always been an arduous task. Monofiliment line by its very nature is difficult to see, and the same low drag coefficient that allows the line to cut through the water with case also makes it slippery and difficult to grasp. Fishhooks generally have eyes that are in proportion with the rest of the hook, and traditionally, this has meant a very small opening. It follows then, that the process of threading a fishhook can be very difficult even in ideal conditions. Couple the task with adverse conditions such as darkness, rain, high winds or extreme cold, and a difficult task can suddenly become a arduous task which takes valuable time away from a fisherperson, time that could be better spent fishing.
Prior inventions have sought to overcome this difficulty in a number of ways. U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,637 for example, utilizes a "C" hook end that allows a fisherperson to slip the hook on to a pre-knotted line. While effective in the initial attachment of the line to the hook, the pressure exerted on the hook, and therefore the knot, by a fish strike, underwater debris, or simple drag could cause the knot to come undone and the hook to be lost. If a fisherperson is using jerking motions to pull the hook through the water, each time that the line goes slack the line is in danger of sliding off of the hook in the opposite manner in which it was attached. Finally, the use of such a hook requires a fisherperson to obtain special equipment (namely, the "C" hooks).
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,633 attempts to solve this dilemma by introducing a threader that is inserted into the eye of the hook to funnel the monofilament line through the hook. While solving the problem of threading the hook, the invention creates another problem by leaving the threader attached to the hook. The funnel shape can actually increase resistance of the hook to move freely through the water. Further, it encumbers the line in such a way that a fisherperson may not desire.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,235 attempts to solve the fishhook threading problem by introducing a device which stores, ties, and dispenses fishhooks. This invention however, can only accommodate certain size fishhooks, namely, ones that can fit within its housing. Fishhooks that are larger than the housing cannot be used at all with this invention.
It is a purpose of this invention to provide a device to make the difficult task of threading a fishhook easy, and thus to save valuable time for the fisherperson. It is a further object of this invention to create a device that can easily be temporarily attached to a fishhook eye, for example, through the use of small lips that extend around the eye, a light adhesive, frictional engagement, or through the use of an extension that secures the threader to the barb. It is a further object of this invention to provide a means for the threader to be removed from the line once the line has been engaged with the fishhook to allow a fisherperson to have a line free of clutter and drag that interferes with the proper motion of the fishhook. It is a further object of this invention to create a device that allows for the easy threading of a fishhook that does not in any way inhibit the creation of a secure attachment between the line and hook.